The heroes of Castlevania don’t have much in common before they set off to defeat Dracula together. Their most notable shared trait is their unique lineages. Sypha is the descendant of a nomadic sect that keeps history and magic alive through oral tradition. Alucard is Dracula’s son, carrying the immense power, responsibility, and guilt that implies. Trevor is the latest in a long line of Belmonts tasked with hunting Dracula. Leon was the first Belmont to dedicate the family to their purpose.
The Belmont family tree is a mess. Several branches disappear into the fog of history, but those that fans can see often have disputed connections to their relatives. Some characters could be depicted as a grandfather, uncle, or cousin to the following game’s protagonist. The timeline is rarely consistent across the franchise, but Leon is the go-to starting point.
Who is Leon Belmont in the Castlevania games?
Leon M. Belmont was born somewhere in Europe in 1072. He lost his unnamed parents when he was young. Leon became a knight at 16, dedicating himself to defending lords and defeating heretics. He became known far and wide for his martial and strategic skills. After joining a company of knights, Leon met and befriended fellow warrior Mathias Cronqvist. They forged an unbreakable bond while accomplishing incredible feats. Mathias lost his will to fight when his beloved wife, Elisabetha, died suddenly. Leon established a baronetcy and struggled to defend it from mysterious creatures. After a year without his best friend, Mathias returned to deliver Leon terrible news. Leon’s fiance, Sara Trantoul, has been kidnapped by a vampire and dragged away to a castle in the Forest of Eternal Night. Leon fearlessly gave up his position and rushed into the forest to save his bride.
Leon swiftly learned that his target was a mighty vampire named Walter Bernhard. He earned an enhanced whip from an alchemist in the forest before setting off toward the castle. Leon killed Walter’s five generals but found that his weapon couldn’t harm the vampire lord. Worse yet, he discovered Sara was already bitten and fighting her inevitable transformation. Sara offered a solution that broke Leon’s heart. He would have to kill her, bond her soul with his whip, and use the weapon to defeat Bernhard. Leon reluctantly obliged, creating the legendary Vampire Killer, which quickly lived up to its name. Leon destroyed Bernhard, but after his foe fell, the Grim Reaper took the vampire’s soul. He imparted its immortal power into a stone, which Mathias used to defy God and become immortal. Mathias strung his best friend along to become Dracula, the new lord of darkness. Leon swore vengeance against his old ally, bonding his family to the endless quest of slaying Mathias wherever he appeared. Centuries later, Leon’s descendant, Trevor Belmont, would achieve his goal and kill Dracula.
Who is Leon Belmont in the Castlevania series?
Leon never appears in Netflix’s Castlevania, but his influence affects the narrative. The story takes place hundreds of years after Leon died, depicting the events of Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. Canonically, this iteration of Leon was the first Belmont to fight Dracula. The in-game version never technically faced the iconic vampire, as Mathias didn’t take that name until he’d been alive for centuries. His portrait hangs in the Belmont Family manor, a repository of information and tools for future generations of monster hunters. Trevor Belmont unpacks some of Leon’s contributions to his family name in this quote:
I think it was a Leon Belmont who entered the region first. And he built this house and dug the foundations for everything under it.
Trevor finds several gifts left by his ancestor in his private library. The Morning Star, a substantial upgrade from Trevor’s traditional Vampire Killer, gives the hunter a massive advantage in bouts against creatures of the night. Leon also left behind his longsword, which appears prominently in his full-sized portrait. Trevor lives up to Leon’s expectations sometime later when he uses Leon’s longsword to behead Dracula. Trevor also mentions offhandedly that Leon provided Trevor’s namesake when he rode into battle with a Celt named Trefor.
In both versions of Castlevania, Leon Belmont created systems that allow his descendants to continue the never-ending quest to vanquish darkness and protect humanity. He moved House Belmont to Wallachia and gave Trevor the guidance and weaponry he needed to defeat Dracula. His tale is much sadder in the game. Lament of Innocence isn’t celebrated for its storytelling success, but the game offers fascinating context on the deep lore of the Castlevania universe. Later iterations of the Netflix series are unlikely to deal with Leon’s battle with Mathias Cronqvist, but hardcore fans will know the story. Leon Belmont is the first of his kind, but his quest will live on through the iconic family of monster hunters.
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